Rising Damp: Your questions answered

As one of Dublin's most established damp proofing companies, we are often asked about Rising Damp. This is a term often used but seldom understood. In today's blog, we want to answer some of the most common questions regarding Rising Damp.

What is rising damp

As mentioned above, the term Rising Damp needs to be more frequently understood. In the simplest terms, rising Damp is moisture from the ground level that travels up through a property's walls. In effect, water is literally sucked up through the bricks and plastering in a wall. This moisture is usually rich with salt, meaning it can be highly corrosive.

What causes rising damp

In a modern home, raising dampness is relatively rare. Most new builds are constructed with Rising Damp preventive materials and measures. However, all buildings, whether they are new or old are vulnerable to Rising Damp.

Building materials like bricks are porous. Therefore moisture can manoeuvre through the gaps in the stone masonry. The more this happens, the more walls become saturated with water.

What areas of a property are valuable to rising damp?

Rising dampness mainly affects the internal and external walls of a property.

How do I identify rising damp?

There are a variety of signs that indicate that your home may be affected by rising damp. These include:

• Wet patches on a wall
• Bubbling or flaking plaster work
• Rotting skirting boards
• Crumbling mortar between bricks
• A damp, musty smell within the property

How can I tell the difference between rising damp and other types of damp?

It can be challenging to differentiate between rising damp and other damp types. Rising damp, will mostly only appear 1 metre over the floor. In contrast, different damp types, like penetrating damp, can occur just about anywhere.

How can I treat rising damp

Unfortunately, Rising Damp within a property is a complex issue requiring dampproofing expertise. Therefore, to treat Rising Damp, we recommend contacting our offices as soon as possible. Dampproofing experts will assess your property as quickly as possible and provide you with a free quote on the costs of addressing the issue.

If you have any questions about Rising Damp, or damp proofing we encourage you to contact Allied damp Solutions today.